Bo Nix Uses His Retreats To Develope Young Quarterbacks

NFL players all have different ways to escape from the grind of the game during the offseason, and Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is no exception. Nix knows he’s constantly in the limelight, but his getaway is what Luca Evans of the Denver Post called his “pristine Alabama property” where Nix likes to develop young quarterbacks. 

It’s a concept that resembles what the Mannings have done at their quarterback camps for year, and Nix, his family and four close family friends have founded a non-profit called AIRO, which is based on the Greek word for lift or raise up, to fund and sponsor it. 

It’s fair to wonder if this is a tax dodge and a way to get family and friends paid, but Nix is serious about the intensity and the football part. Evans used a couple of participants as sources, including Champ Smith, a four-star quarterback from Florida who’s committed to Harvard, which isn’t exaclty a traditional path to the NFL. 

“It was really less about football, at this camp,” Smith said. “To be honest, that was kind of their last priority.”

Nix certainly has the ability to impress the kids, who are typically 12-16, with some serious guests. They include backup QB Jarrett Stidham, who met Smith at the airport in a black SUV to give him a personal escort to the came. 

“It was like, surreal,” Smith said. “I was like, ‘What’s he doing here?’ Like, the place is an hour and a half away. Why is he coming up here?”

Nix takes a genuinely faith-based approach to his job, and the camp reflects that. Alabama is a notorious hotbed for the whole “faith, famly and football” credo, and the Broncos quarterback has created an experience that aligns with that way of life. 

“We did an experience you may have never done before,” Nix told The Post. “Catch a fish, ride a horse, shoot a bow and arrow, something like that. And then at the end, the most important was — we want to share the gospel with them, and open up the Bible, and talk about life, talk about struggles. Because we all go through the same things.”

The part about Nix’s struggles is beyond genuine, though. He was seen as limited coming out of Oregon, but two years later he got the Broncos to the AFC Championship game. That experience came with a broken ankle that was another source of controversy this offseason, and based on the snippet we saw in the preseason, he’s more than capable of proving his doubters wrong again.